The Giants created the year's defining sports moment by knocking off the previously undefeated Patriots in February. While an encore seems unlikely, New York again should be in the thick of things in the NFC East. They lost three notable defensive players, but none of that should matter much to fantasy teams. Eli Manning is still throwing to Plaxico Burress, and Brandon Jacobs is still hammering in touchdowns from the one-yard line.

The prevailing thought amongst many NFL know-it-alls was that the Titans would attempt to surround franchise QB Vince Young with more help at the wide receiver position through the draft in the offseason. Instead the team decided to go running back - again - and are counting on free agent tight end Alge Crumpler to become Young's favorite target. Head coach Jeff Fisher's teams are predicated upon a tough defense and an offense that manges the clock and the ball, trying to avoid turnovers.

That kind of mentality is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to fantasy owners who worship the bomb and detest the dive. Under normal circumstances I'd suggest you run and hide from the Titans, but the wildcard Vince Young makes this team more of the intriguing variety than the vanilla kind:

Maybe they knew what they were doing after all. Two years removed from the Reggie Bush/Mario Williams debacle, it seems as if the Houston Texans actually made the correct decision in making Williams the number one overall pick in 2006.

They made some strides in head coach Gary Kubiak's first season with the Texans franchise and have some pieces in place to do some good things in 2008. Just like any other team in the NFL, their success hinges upon their skill players staying healthy for most of the season, primarily on the offensive side of the ball.

But there are certainly some fantasy options on this team worth your consideration and here's a position-by-position breakdown of who they are and what you can expect from them in 2008:

Jermaine Dye- Chicago White Sox (RF)
Vs. Texas Rangers
4-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

When the Sox’ offense is clicking on all cylinders- as it was yesterday- few teams can match their explosiveness. Dye may not be an All-Star but he has been as important as any Sox player this first half. Is there an AL team with a more potent 3-4 combo than Dye and Carlos Quentin? As long as the pitching can keep it up, the Sox will be a contender down the stretch.

AJ Burnett- Toronto Blue Jays
Vs. New York Yankees
Win: 8 1/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 K

Toronto has outscored their opponents by more runs (23) than Anaheim has (21) this season, but have ten fewer wins. Such are the perils of playing in the AL East with those mighty Rays.

Chad Billingsley- Los Angeles Dodgers
Vs. Florida Marlins
Win: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 13 K

Who is the worse free agent signing (and fantasy player!) in the NL West: Andruw Jones or Barry Zito. No wonder no team in that division is over .500 at the All-Star break.

One down

Josh Willingham- Florida Marlins (LF)
Vs. LA Dodgers
0-for-4, 3 K

Willingham has been as dependable as always since returning from a lengthy DL stint three weeks ago, yesterday just wasn’t his day. Before that, his last five games, Willingham tallied five hits and three walks.

But don't fret my fantasy friends, because I have spent an inordinate amount of time with my statistician Min Joon Kim poring over rosters and statistics to help you find that pitcher nobody in your league has even noticed yet despite a string of dominating performances lately.

His name, you ask?

CC Sabathia is supposed is to be the ace, but Bush has been lights out lately.

Howie Kendrick- Angels
@ Tex
3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R

The Angels are the best team in the AL West,and Kendrick is a big reason why.

Justin Morneau- Minnesota Twins
Vs. Tigers
5-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

Morneau has been on a tear lately. The Twins are as dangerous as any team in the AL Central.

No matter what the case may be, on Monday The Fantasy Factor will begin its coverage of all things fantasy football with team-by-team previews of every one of the 32 NFL franchises by conference. Every day you can find a new team preview, starting with the AFC North and AFC South next week.

We'll give you the lowdown on every quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and defense that you need to know about, complete with last year's stats and outlook for the upcoming season.

Soon after you can expect position by position and composite rankings of players to help you make those tough decisions in the offseason.

Eventually we'll be conducting a mock draft so that you have a handle on what to expect when your draft day comes around in the very near future.

Once the season begins, we'll have regularly occurring features on a daily basis that will include start or sit, fantasy mailbag, matchup previews and a host of others along the way.

Make sure to check back with us daily, or subscribe to our free news feed so that you can be alerted whenever new content is available.

Carlos Zambrano- Chicago Cubs
Vs. Cincinnati Reds
Win: 8 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 K

Zambrano’s second straight strong start since his return from the disabled list will appease fantasy owners as much as Lou Piniella. Really, Zambrano is one of the premier starting pitchers in baseball, and fantasy players know what they’re getting from him every time he takes the mound. You can tell Carlos I said all these nice things about him, but just read that last sentence aloud instead of sending him a link. We know surfing the web has given him trouble in the past.

Garrett Atkins- Colorado Rockies
@ Milwaukee Brewers
3-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Anytime a Rockies hitter rakes on the road, fantasy owners just consider it a bonus. No matter where he’s playing, Atkins has been one of the NL’s top third basemen for three consecutive years now. Though he’s owned in 100% of ESPN fantasy leagues, you may want to look at trading for him. In nine June games, Atkins has 17 hits and 12 RBI.

Carlos Quentin- Chicago White Sox
@ Kansas City Royals
2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB

Though nothing as remarkable as a two-run sac fly happened last night, Quentin was the Sox’ only offensive force for most of the game. He’s been a fantasy All-Star this year and is certainly in contention for waiver wire pickup of the year.

One down

Paul Konerko- White Sox
@ Kansas City Royals
0-for-4, 4 K

Yeah, it doesn’t get much worse than that. Unfortunately for the Sox, the former World Series hero seems to be losing more than his hair.

So, with your input and ours, here's a look at the updated top 10 rookies in fantasy baseball based upon their performance up until this point with (previous weeks' ranking in parentheses):

Justin Duchscherer- Oakland A’s (SP)
Vs. Seattle Mariners
Win: CG, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K

Get your bags packed Justin. Since Duchscherer is leading the AL in ERA right now, I’m sure Oakland GM Billy Beane could get a king’s ransom in return for the 30-year old. A’s fans hope that if Duchscherer is traded, Oakland can get more in return than Sean Gallagher and a few spare parts. Seriously, how do the Cubbies get Harden without giving up Josh Vitters, Tyler Colvin, or Felix Pie? If Harden is healthy, the Cubs made a great move.

Andy Pettitte- New York Yankees (SP)
Vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Win: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 K

It’s pretty remarkable that Pettitte was able to put all the preseason steroid talk behind him and turn in a very solid first half. With an ERA under 4 and a nearly 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio, Pettitte has been as reliable as any AL pitcher so far. Still, the Yankees are going to need a lot more from everyone else to catch the Rays and Red Sox.

Miguel Cabrera- Detroit Tigers (1B)
Vs. Cleveland Indians
4-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

It’s about time Cabrera turned in a performance like this. Though his .291/.356/.495 line is good, the Tigers were expecting more from the man they gave $153 million to. With the Tigers pitching looking wobbly, it’ll be up to Cabrera and the rest of the Tigers offense to live up to expectations and start raking for Detroit to catch the White Sox and Twins.

One down

Jermaine Dye- White Sox (RF)
Vs. Kansas City Royals
0-for-6, 2 K

As we’ve pointed out on here endlessly, Dye has been scorching hot lately. Is this a sign that he’s cooling down or just a one-game aberration? We’ll see.

Lots more throughout the Olsen-O'Donnell blogosphere today:

Check out TUP for reaction on the Rich Harden trade and a breakdown of last night's Sox victory.

Go to TTCS to see why we are excited for the NFL to return.

By the time you read this, there is a very good chance someone in your league may have already picked up Mr. Kuroda. That's because Kuroda was one Mark Texiera double away from throwing a perfect game last night and ESPN has been running replays of it ever since. It's natural instinct to want to rush and pick up a guy like Kuroda after he puts on such a dominating performance.

But there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before clearing a roster spot for Kuroda today.

Torii Hunter- Los Angeles Angels (CF)
Vs. Texas Rangers
3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

As a Sox fan- yeah, this blog is written by two Sox fans, get over it- I really feel like the stars are aligning this season. Take away Hunter, Johan Santana, and CC Sabathia, and the AL Central isn’t as scary as it once was. Of course, the Sox will likely have to tussle with Hunter’s Angels to get anywhere meaningful, and LA looks like a juggernaut right now. Hunter has just been ok offensively so far, and the Angels already have a 6.5 game division lead. If he gets hot, watch out.

Hiroki Kuroda- Los Angeles Dodgers (SP)
Vs. Atlanta Braves
Win: CG, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K

The Dodgers may have been the real loser in the Sabathia trade. The NL West lacks one real good team, and acquiring the big lefty could have turned the Dodgers into that. Still, if Kuroda, a 33-year old who’s having a fine season, keeps pitching like this, Sabathia would be an afterthought. Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth inning.

Ricky Nolasco- Florida Marlins (SP)
Vs. San Diego Padres
Win: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 K

I’m not sure if normal people do this, but I automatically root for anyone named Ricky in sports. While Rick Nash is probably the top Richard around right now, Nolasco is making a strong push towards the top. Don’t be so surprised by yesterday’s performance either: Olsen told you the ex-Cub farmhand was someone to keep an eye on a week ago.

One down

Adrian Gonzalez- San Diego Padres (1B)
Vs. Florida Marlins
0-for-4, K

Adrian Gonzalez really is one of baseball’s most underrated forces, so don’t expect many stat lines like last night. Oh well, I guess everyone occasionally has an off-day. Except for Olsen.

Here goes with their previous weeks' ranking in parentheses:

1. (1) Alex Rodriguez, NYY 3B - The guy is still killing it, but this divorce issue has got to be weighing on him.

2. (2) Lance Berkman, HOU OF/1B - We have finally found something that can slow him down: pink eye.

3. (3) Hanley Ramirez, FLA SS - June's player of the month looks like he'll be a candidate in July as well (2 HR, 7 RBI).

4. (7) Ian Kinsler, TEX 2B - Absolutely on fire during his current 18-game hitting streak.

5. (5) Albert Pujols, STL 1B - Hit his 300th career homer Friday, unfortunately it was a solo shot.

6. (4) Chase Utley, PHI 2B - The long ball is a rarity lately, but he's been more consistent overall.

7. (8) Josh Hamilton, TEX OF - Still homerless June 17 but he's an RBI machine (84).

8. (12) Grady Sizemore, CLE OF - Leads AL with 22 HR, top ten in BB , SLG, R, SB, and OPS.

9. (9) Jose Reyes, NYM SS - Starting to pick up steam heading into the All-Star break.

10. (10) Matt Holliday, COL OF - Absolutely dominant performance during latest homestand (.429, 3 HR, 10 RBI).

11. (11) David Wright, NYM 3B - Had back-to-back three hit games last week, liking what we see.

12. (6) Ryan Braun, MIL 3B - Hit his first HR since June 17 on Saturday. The hand is definitely an issue.

13. (13) Carlos Quentin, CHW OF - No HR or RBI in July so far. Looking for more from Quentin.

14. (14) Adrian Gonzalez, SD 1B - Stuck in a horrendous slump at the moment.

15. (15) Prince Fielder, MIL 1B - The big man went through a tough stretch at the end of June.

16. (16) Dan Uggla, FLA 2B - Very good chance he won't be back until after the All-Star break.

17. (17) Chipper Jones, ATL 3B - Crazy stat line from last night's 17-inning game: 3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB.

18. (18) Milton Bradley, TEX OF/DH - Knee tendinitis forced Bradley out of the lineup Sunday.

19. (19) Cliff Lee, CLE SP - Had his 12th win basically sewn up, before blowing it against the Twins.

20. (NR) Roy Halladay, TOR SP - This guy is one of baseball's elite players stuck up North.

21. (20) Dan Haren, ARI SP - Drops not because of any one thing he did, just bad luck in the wins dept.

22. (22) Derrek Lee, CHC 1B - Has had a multi-hit game in every contest in July except for one.

23. (23) Jermaine Dye, CHW OF - Since June 18, JD has been held hitless only once.

24. (24) Brandon Webb, ARI SP - Named the NL All-Star starter, and deservedly so.

25. (25) Tim Lincecum, SF SP - Just keeps getting better and better.

26. (26) Carlos Lee, HOU OF - Looking good in July, hopefully the break won't mess him up.

27. (27) Edison Volquez, CIN SP - Hasn't had more than 3K in a game since June 9.

28. (28) Carl Crawford, TB OF - Batting average back to .288 for the first time since May 13.

29. (29) Mariano Rivera, NYY RP - Made made Manny Ramirez look clueless Sunday night. Still got it.

30. (30) Justin Duchscherer, OAK SP - Chicago fans saw what all the fuss is about on Forth of July.

Hitters:

J.J. Hardy, MIL SS
vs. PIT
3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Maybe he was in a good mood after hearing that C.C. Sabathia is on his way to becoming a short-term member of the Brew Crew. Hide your snacks gents, Sabby loves him some snacks.

Chipper Jones, ATL 3B
vs. HOU
3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB

As far as I'm concerned, you should have a pretty decent fantasy line after playing a 17-inning marathon game in which you had nine at bats. Chipper's holding steady with a .388 BA, however, don't kid yourself. The elusive .400 is a pipe dream and is a record that won't ever be broken.

Cody Ross, FLA OF
vs. COL
3-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R

While you may not have heard of Ross, this kid is doing some very good things down in the albatross that is Florida Marlins baseball. More on him later.

Hurlers:

Jon Garland, LAA P
vs. TOR
9 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 K

That's the Johnny G that the South Side of Chicago had become used to seeing. Only problem is that Garland is one of those guys that is a very good pitcher in real life, but in fantasy his stats don't translate into the same success. Not a high strikeout guy with average WHIP and ERA, Garland won't ever win you a fantasy matchup, but then again he most certainly won't lose it for you either.

Randy Johnson, ARI P
vs. SDG
6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K

The old man's still got it. We weren't sure heading into the season what, if any, Johnson had left in the tank, but those questions have been answered. Johnson has had a few shaky starts, but the old man can still deliver a 10 strikeout gem like yesterday and is a nice option to have on your staff.

The Bad

Ryan Howard, PHI 1B
vs. NYM
1-6, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 R, 4 K, 5 LOB

If you've been reading the Fantasy Factor, you might think I'm picking on the big guy. But in a game against the division rival New York Mets, Howard absolutely disappeared. The Phillies have a two-game lead over the Marlins in the NL East and would have liked to extend their lead in a big way. But like I told you before, Howard is horrendous against lefties and you seriously have to consider benching him when the Phils go up against a southpaw in the future.

Jesse Litsch, TOR P
vs. LAA
5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER

Too bad Roy Halladay couldn't start every game for the Jays. I can't wait for the next round of A.J. Burnett to the Cubs talks.